Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Lloyd and Weiya walked very, very slowly on the path from the ’subway’ entrance to Tower Nine.

They even got lost and took a huge detour, only arriving at Tower Nine when they were about to be late.

Then, with a silent understanding, they finally let go of the hands they had been holding so tightly. But they did so one finger at a time, another tacit display of their reluctance to part.

"After work, I’ll wait for you at the Swordsmanship Target Range... um, wait for you to pick up Xiaomi..."

Weiya whispered, then scooped the little kitten from Lloyd’s arms. She rubbed her face vigorously, using her Spiritual Power to calm the flush in her cheeks, transforming back into her usual image of the Cold and Glamorous Judge. Then she hurried past Lloyd and into Tower Nine.

Lloyd, on the other hand, didn’t have her concern for maintaining a public image. He paid no mind to his expression and casually strolled toward the notice board.

As he walked, he savored the lingering warmth and feel of her hand in his.

’Weiya’s hands, though slender, elegant, and beautiful, aren’t soft and boneless like a Saint Statue or my sister’s. They’re not frail and weak at all.’

’On the contrary, her hands are quite strong, with some roughness from years of Swordsmanship practice, which makes me feel even more secure holding them tightly.’

’And they’re so warm, almost burning hot. I can feel her ardent affection in her palm.’

That was why Lloyd had been so reluctant to let go, why he wished the moment could have lasted forever.

It wasn’t until he ran into a few passing Executors who called out to him.

"Morning, Lloyd! Huh? Did... something good happen?"

"Uh... I didn’t know the ever-so-cool Lloyd could smile like that. It looks kinda... goofy?"

"He’s not sick, is he?"

"No way. He must be happy about completing an off-site mission with great success, right?"

Hearing their comments, Lloyd realized he was still smiling foolishly. He quickly shook his head, then propped up his chin with his hand, reverting to his usual persona of a cold, mysterious, and reserved young man.

’That was close! I almost broke character...’

’I thought I was being inconspicuous and that no one would notice me, but I forgot I’m something of a minor celebrity in Tower Nine. Everyone’s already familiar with me, so I can’t just blend in like a stranger.’

’Can’t be helped. I was just too happy and got carried away. It’s inevitable that I’d get a little careless...’

Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief internally and looked up at the notice board where several keys were hanging.

The keys for floors -1 and -2 were all gone, leaving five keys for floor -3 for him.

Aside from holding hands with Weiya, everything was the same as always.

Lloyd took down the keys and was about to get to his duties when he heard someone next to him ask:

"Lloyd, do you need any help?"

Lloyd glanced back. It wasn’t a new face, but that guy he’d run into a few times—the one who looked like a pampered young master.

That description might not be entirely accurate. Strictly speaking, several of these pampered young master types had joined Tower Nine in the last month.

The one in front of Lloyd, however, had arrived earlier and was the first among all the Executors to ask if he needed an assistant.

At the time, Lloyd had put him off with the excuse that ’both my parents were eaten by Demons, so I despise evil with a passion’.

After that, the nickname ’Lloyd the Demon-Hater’ began to spread...

’Don’t tell me this is the guy who started it?’

Lloyd found it amusing. He was about to come up with another excuse to refuse when the young man continued:

"Lately, the Orbits in the tower seem to have become unstable... That’s what Senior Meditis said. She reminded us to be extra careful during executions, preferably by forming groups and preparing firearms."

"Meditis said that?"

Lloyd asked, a little puzzled.

The other man shook his head and explained:

"Er... what Senior Meditis actually said was, ’A bad woman like me loves watching you little brats get scared shitless. So if you don’t want to make a fool of yourselves, you’d better do this and that...’"

"That sounds more like it. Did she ask you guys for help?"

"No, Senior Meditis is like you. She always performs executions alone and then drinks by herself... It’s just that while you were gone, not many keys for floor -3 were posted. So, do you need help today?"

It seemed the young man’s logic was that since the Orbits were having issues and the execution workload was heavier, he should offer to help. It was a kind gesture.

So, Lloyd didn’t refuse him harshly. Instead, he said tactfully:

"Not today, thanks. I can handle it. Besides, I need to check what’s wrong with those Orbits myself."

"Uh... okay, then. Be careful, Senior!"

Weiya had already told him about the problems with the Orbits on their way over.

Even though they had been holding hands the whole time, they hadn’t just been whispering sweet nothings; they had also discussed a lot of work-related matters.

According to Weiya’s description, the suppression Orbits hadn’t failed completely, nor did they suddenly stop working for no reason. It wasn’t like the dangerous situation Lloyd had encountered with the giant hornet last time.

Their effects had just become somewhat unstable. Demons that were supposed to be immobilized would occasionally show signs of breaking free, which was quite frightening to watch.

Fortunately, no real incidents had occurred. The few close calls had been handled by Weiya and that "stat monster," Meditis.

Afterward, Weiya arranged for a comprehensive inspection, but the conclusion was that it was a normal phenomenon resulting from a lack of maintenance...

"But Tower Nine beefed up its security after the library attack, and the Orbits below were all serviced at the same time. How could they need maintenance again so soon?"

Weiya had asked, puzzled.

"So Tower Nine needs another round of maintenance?"

Lloyd had pressed.

"I’ve already submitted the request, but I haven’t gotten a reply yet, so I don’t know when it’ll happen... With Chief Judge Tirtus away and the Great Expansion underway, resources are tight everywhere. The resources we get allocated probably won’t be as plentiful as before."

As Weiya spoke, she looked at Lloyd with deep affection and added in a low voice:

"If you need anything, I can still try to figure something out for you. But don’t tell anyone else, it’s against the rules..."

Seeing that she was willing to break the rules for him, Lloyd’s heart filled with warmth and joy, and he squeezed Weiya’s hand even tighter.

He quickly replied:

"Don’t worry about me, I have my ways. You, on the other hand, if you need any materials, remember to tell me. I’ll figure something out for you."

"Hehe, don’t worry about me. My dad already... never mind, let’s not talk about him..."

Weiya said, suddenly a little angry.

Lloyd wanted to ask about her father, especially his views on his daughter’s romantic life.

But Weiya shook her head and said first:

"My mother left us a long time ago, so my dad is quite strict with me... But you don’t have to worry. I’ll figure it out."

Lloyd could clearly sense that Weiya held deep respect for her father, so there were some things she definitely couldn’t say. He changed the subject.

"By the way, is the music box I gave you still working?"

But Weiya gave a strange answer:

"When you’re not around, it doesn’t really move much. Maybe it’s because it misses you?"

"Eh? I’ll make you a new one later then."

"You dummy..."

"Eh???"

Even now, Lloyd couldn’t figure out why Weiya had suddenly called him a dummy. He was still thinking about finding Military Supply Priest Andrew later to order another batch of materials and make Weiya a new one as soon as possible.

But speaking of which, before they parted, he had also inspected Weiya’s condition. As expected, her Attributes had grown noticeably—

[Rationality: 60]

[Spiritual Power: 30]

[Inspiration: 15]

[Cognition: 28]

The increase wasn’t as exaggerated as his sister’s, but it was still very fast.

’Everyone is working so hard. As a self-reliant and ambitious young man, I can’t slack off either!’

Lost in his thoughts, Lloyd arrived at the first cell on floor -3.

A huge Dingding Cat, about two meters long, was imprisoned here. Its wings had been broken, leaving it unable to fly, and it was bound to the wall with steel spikes and chains.

Its limbs were considerably anthropomorphized, vaguely resembling the shape of fingers. Its chest was curved, which, combined with a pair of huge compound eyes, looked like a leering, malevolent face. It was an exceptionally unsettling sight.

Normally, looking directly at the ’human face’ or ’visage’ formed on such a Demon would cause Spiritual Contamination.

However, Lloyd had long since grown accustomed to it; he had seen things far more grotesque.

He walked up to the Demon, stopping about three meters away. He straightened his back, spread his hands, and pointed to the Revolver on his hip, putting on a little weapons demonstration.

Then, in a sudden quick draw, he fired three shots at the Demon—BANG! BANG! BANG!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The bullets precisely missed the Demon, striking the wall and falling limply to the floor.

Lloyd’s face instantly darkened...

He looked at the Demon before him and felt its ’malevolent grin’ had turned into a ’mocking sneer’...

Flustered and exasperated, he drew his Short Sword and charged forward, striking it several times.

Then, while harvesting its organs, he muttered to himself:

"How could this happen? I was so confident in my marksmanship..."

Soon, the giant Dingding Cat was "relocated" into the black recycling bin on the side.

Lloyd then picked up the chains and steel spikes from the floor and activated the Square Ring on his hand: Scenes of Wisdom.

’It really doesn’t look like there’s a problem, does it? It’s also targeted by the same kind of large-scale composite Orbit as the one in the camp’s Processing District. It’s even sturdier. It doesn’t seem like it’s lacking maintenance...’

’It’s probably not another large-scale ’accident’ like last time either. That incident directly led to the Advisor’s temporary downfall; other criminals wouldn’t dare be so brazen.’

’Then what’s the reason for this?’